Category Archives: Board of Education

Two new trustees sworn in to serve on Board of Education

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Two new members of the Houston Independent School District Board of Education were sworn in on Thursday ahead of the board’s regularly scheduled January meeting – District VI Trustee Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca (Ocampo) and District VII Trustee Anne Sung.

Both are filling unexpired trustee terms that run through the end of 2017. Sung was elected to the board in December and Flynn Vilaseca was unanimously appointed by the board this week to serve the unexpired trustee term for District VI. Sung will fill the unexpired term of outgoing District VII Trustee Harvin Moore, and Flynn Vilaseca will serve the remaining term of the District VI seat formerly held by Greg Meyers.

HISD Board of Education to swear in two new trustees before Thursday meeting

Board also will elect new officers at monthly board meeting

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education will welcome its two newest members on Thursday, swearing in newly appointed District VI Trustee Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca (Ocampo) and newly elected District VII Trustee Anne Sung.

Both are filling unexpired trustee terms that run through the end of 2017 and will be formally sworn in prior to the first meeting of the year during a special ceremony.

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HISD’s top priority as 85th Legislature convenes: School finance

As the 85th Texas Legislature convenes today in Austin, the state’s school finance system is the top priority on HISD’s legislative agenda, and the district will ask state lawmakers to make changes that would keep local tax dollars in Houston schools.

Under the state’s current school finance system, HISD is considered “property wealthy” and is subject to sending $162 million in local property taxes to the state – a process known as “recapture.” But on Election Day, Houstonians voted down the ballot measure that would have authorized the $162 million payment and future payments totaling more than $1 billion. This means that, starting in July, the Texas Education Agency can detach $18 billion worth of nonresidential, commercial property from HISD’s tax rolls and reassign those businesses to other school districts for taxing purposes. The TEA will continue to detach property every July for the foreseeable future.

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Board unanimously appoints Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca to serve unexpired Trustee District VI term

Flynn Vilaseca to take oath of office on Thursday

hollymaria_2Houston ISD Trustees on Monday unanimously agreed to appoint Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca (Ocampo) to serve the unexpired trustee term representing District VI on the district’s west side.

Flynn Vilaseca, who is fluent in English and Spanish, worked as a bilingual teacher at HISD’s Windsor Village Elementary School as a Teach for America corps member from 2004 to 2006. Since then, Ms. Vilaseca has continued working in the education field with Battelle for Kids, K12 Inc., and thinkLaw.

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January is School Board Recognition Month

2016-board-of-trustees

January is School Board Recognition Month, and the Houston Independent School District is joining other districts across the state to honor local leaders for their dedication and willingness to serve as advocates for public schools.

These dedicated public servants become school board trustees to serve as advocates for schoolchildren because they are committed to improving public education and their communities. They devote many hours to making sure the children receive a high-quality education that will make them lifelong learners and prepare them for success. They make sure America’s school districts provide students with schools that are safe and have the resources and instructional programs they need to educate children to their fullest potential.

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HISD Board of Education approves construction contract to renovate Codwell ES, re-open it to students

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education last week approved a $12 million construction contract to renovate Codwell Elementary School on the district’s south side so that it could re-open for students.

The building at 5225 Tavenor Lane has been closed and vacant since the summer of 2014 when renovation work being done as part of the 2007 bond program uncovered significant moisture problems that required the students to relocate.

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HISD Board of Education Runoff Election Results

Anne Sung poses in an undated photographAnne Sung was elected to the Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Saturday, according to unofficial results reported by the Harris County Clerk’s Office. Anne Sung defeated John Luman. The results will be official once they are canvassed.

Sung is a product of HISD, attending Askew Elementary, TH Rogers School and graduating from Bellaire High School.  Sung earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and master’s degrees in physics and public policy from Harvard University. Sung was a member of Teach for America and previously taught physics at HISD. She was named Lee High School’s Teacher of the Year in 2011 and is currently the Chief Strategy Officer and Vice President of Project GRAD Houston.

“As a former student of HISD, I am grateful for the education that I received, and now the opportunity to serve the district,” said Sung. “This is a tremendous honor and I want to work to give students the opportunities that I had.”

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HISD accepting resumes/letters of interest from qualified candidates for Trustee District VI

The HISD Board of Education received a letter of resignation from Trustee Greg Meyers, Trustee District VI, on December 8, 2016. Trustee Meyers’s resignation will become effective, and a vacancy created, on December 16, 2016, by operation of law.

The Board plans to fill the vacancy by appointment on or before its January 12, 2017 regular meeting. Qualified candidates residing within District VI should submit resumes/letters of interest to the Board Services Office, Attention: Veronica Mabasa, by January 3, 2017 at 5 p.m.

For more information concerning the qualifications to serve as a trustee and/or the geographic boundaries for Trustee District VI, please see the links below.

Trustee district boundaries map.

Board member eligibility/qualifications

Addressing detachment in ‘Robin Hood’ law tops trustees’ 2017 State Legislative Agenda

When the Texas Legislature reconvenes in Austin on January 10, 2017, the Houston Independent School District’s Board of Education will advocate for three priorities:

  • Stop detachment and annexation of commercial property in Houston before June 2017.
  • Invest and enhance educational opportunities for at-risk, immigrant, special needs, and gifted and talented students through digital learning.
  • Preserve the local control and flexibility of school districts by duly-elected school boards.

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HISD Board of Education approves two school construction contracts

The HISD Board of Education on Thursday approved construction contracts for Askew Elementary School and Madison High School, both part of the district’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. The schools will be among almost three dozen projects across the district under construction by the end of the year.

Askew Elementary
Located on Houston’s west side, Askew Elementary is slated to receive $26.6 million for a new school accommodating 850 pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students. The new two-story building will be erected on the north side of the campus, with the main entrance continuing to face south along Wood Lodge Drive. Design plans call for ample natural light and flexible learning spaces, as well as areas to accommodate outdoor learning opportunities.

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